British teen 'drug mule' Bella Culley 'has been left to freeze in Georgian jail cell and received no medical treatment despite her pregnancy'
Drug arrest Brit Bella Culley has revealed she has been left freezing in her Georgian jail cell and is receiving no medical attention despite telling officials she is pregnant.
The 18-year-old has asked for a jumper and warmer clothes and requested fresh fruit after being visited by local celebrity lawyer Mariam Kublashvili.
Bella, who is sharing a cell with two inmates called Anastasya and Ani, also requested tuna which Ms Kublashvili believes may be 'pregnancy cravings'.
'She is pregnant and needs medical care which she complained she wasn't getting,' the glamorous Georgian lawyer told the Mail after a 30-minute meeting this morning at notorious Women's Penitentiary Number Five.
'She asked me for tuna fish which I thought was odd and might have been something to do with pregnancy cravings - but fish cannot be sent in.
'She told me no tests, checks or medical examinations have been done.
'She said she asked for a doctor, but the doctor wasn't speaking English and they couldn't understand each other.'
Ms Kublashvili, who previously represented speedboat killer Jack Shepherd when he was caught in Georgia, has been closely following the case and said she has great sympathy for Bella's predicament.
While she is not representing the Teesside teenager, the former model used a routine visit to her prison to meet her and offered to use her legal clout to get her supplies.
Ms Kublashivili, 39, who has specialised in helping female prisoners, said Bella was 'visibly cold' in the drafty meeting room and requested a jumper as she only had on a thin dark green top and blue leggings.
She said: 'My Initial impression was very positive - she is very open, very pleasant, and charming. She doesn't fit the profile of a drug trafficker at all.
'For anyone, like me, with experience in dealing with such cases, it would be quite obvious that she is a victim here - she's been used and manipulated.
'I have a 20 year old child myself and can only imagine what her parents must be feeling.'
Bella was arrested at Tbilisi Airport on May 11 and found with 12kg of cannabis and 2kg of hashish after getting a £550 Air Arabia flight from Bangkok via Sharjah.
But local bureaucracy has blocked her distraught father Niel (corr) Culley, 49, from visiting since he arrived in the country last Wednesday.
Ms Kublashvili said: 'She expects her dad to visit either tomorrow (Tues) or after tomorrow.
'She asked me if a jumper and warmer clothes - size medium - could be sent to her.
'I'm obviously happy to do that and she wants fruits as well – doesn't like what she is fed in the prison at all. I will be sending fruit over too.
'But she is sad and would very much like to go home.'
Bella is sharing a cell with two other women inmates, but it was unclear what crimes they have been accused of or committed, Ms Kublashvili said.
The lawyer added: 'She is getting along well with her inmates – two of them, Anastasya and Ani.
'She asked me to get in touch with her dad – she said she knew he was getting lawyers and that carried significant financial costs.
'But I have a great deal of experience helping women in situations like this and want to do all I can for her - and I'm offering my service free of charge.'
Ms Kublashivili said Bella was 'very polite' and 'shy', saying thank you 'every five minutes'.
It is the first time the teenage Brit has been heard from since she appeared in Tbilisi city court last week appearing shell shocked dressed only in a skimpy white top and shorts.
She had been travelling around South East Asia and only appears to have clothes for the beach despite the cold conditions of her jail cell.
Bella was arrested on May 11 and appeared at court two days later which was broadcast locally and word finally reached her family the following day.
Father Niel yesterday vowed to stay in Georgia for 'as long as it takes' to bring his daughter back home.
Ms Kublashvili is a former model who once appeared on 'The Stars Are Dancing' - Georgia's version of Strictly Come Dancing .
She fought to prevent speedboat killer Shepherd from extradition in 2019 after he was detained in Georgia over the killing of 24-year-old Charlotte Brown during a speedboat date on the Thames.
He was eventually extradited three months later after Shepherd agreed provided his safety was taken into consideration.
He served out the remainder of his sentence and was released on remand in January last year. He is living in the UK and is not permitted to leave the country as part of his remand conditions.
Ms Kublashvili's most famous case is defending Temirlan Machalikashvili's family, a teenager shot dead in his bed by Georgian law enforcement who claimed he was linked to ISIS.
Ms Kublashvili, who runs her own law firm, has spoken movingly about losing her father at the age of five and had a tough life raised by strict mountain traditions.
She went on to start her own law company, and is famous for winning tough cases.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
5 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Several people arrested in Bali on drugs charges that could carry death penalty
Several foreign nationals – including an Australian, an Indian and an American – have been arrested on the tourist island of Bali on suspicion of possessing drugs, charges that could carry the death penalty. The move comes after three British nationals accused of smuggling nearly a kilogram of cocaine into Indonesia were charged on Tuesday in a court on Bali. Advertisement Customs officers at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport arrested an Indian national with the initials HV, who was carrying a duffel bag, in the customs and excise inspection area on May 29. The officers found narcotic-related items in his belongings, authorities said. Following up on the interrogation of HV, later that day officers from the National Narcotics Agency of Bali Province arrested an Australian man with the initials PR, who has been visiting Bali since 1988. PR asked HV to bring the duffel bag from Los Angeles to Bali, said I Made Sinar Subawa, an official from the narcotics agency, at a news conference. Advertisement The accused pair are presented to the media with other drug suspects following their arrests (Firdia Lisnawati/AP) During a search at a house where he stayed, officers found drugs in the form of hashish, a cannabis concentrate product, that belonged to PR and had been purchased over the Telegram messaging app. The hashish was shipped from Los Angeles and Philippines before finally being received in Bali, Mr Subawa said. Officers seized 191 grams of hashish along with some candies consisting of tetrahydrocannabinol, and 488 grams of marijuana. Both PR and HV are now suspected of dealing in narcotics, based on the evidence that was found with them, Mr Subawa said. 'PR is suspected of violating Indonesia's Narcotics Law which carries the death penalty, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for a minimum of four years and a maximum of 12 years,' said Mr Subawa. Advertisement Along with HV and PR, the agency also arrested WM, an American, on May 23 while he was collecting a package from a post office in Bali. (Firdia Lisnawati/AP) An officer opened the package carried by WM and found seven pieces of silver packaging containing a total of 99 orange amphetamine pills and secured one white Apple iPhone. The agency, at a news conference in the city of Denpasar on Thursday, presented the evidence, including marijuana and hashish, seized from the suspects. All suspects will undergo legal proceedings in Indonesia, including trial and sentencing. Advertisement The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says Indonesia is a major drug-smuggling hub despite having some of the strictest drug laws in the world, in part because international drug syndicates target its young population. The south-east Asian country has extremely strict drug laws, and convicted smugglers can face severe penalties, including the possibility of execution by firing squad. About 530 people, including 96 foreigners, are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, latest figures from the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections show. Indonesia's last executions, of an Indonesian and three foreigners, were carried out in July 2016. Advertisement
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Kim Zolciak's daughter Ariana claims her mom and stepdad Kroy Biermann spent all her money
daughter Ariana Biermann has claimed her mother and stepfather Kroy Biermann have spent all of her hard-earned money. The influencer, 23, made the claim on the first episode of her new Bravo reality TV show Next Gen NYC on Tuesday. She said she started making significant income from brand deals and sponsored social media posts aged as young as 14, but claimed her parents wiped it out. 'I was doing like three posts a week and you get paid astronomical to do a story or to do an Instagram post, and I made quite a bit of money,' she said. 'But, unfortunately, my parents took my money.' Since filing to end their nearly 12-year marriage in May 2023, Kim and Kroy have been embroiled in a nasty legal battle over their Georgia mansion, custody of their four minor children, and financial support—with Kroy previously accusing Kim of gambling away $1.5 million. But now Ariana is adding fuel to the fire, saying she discovered her money was 'gone two years ago.' She added: 'I don't even know how much money I made over the time period,' the reality star admitted. 'Nobody was honest, there was no transparency and I have no idea where it actually went.' She added that she 'can't say exactly' what her parents spent it on. Ariana also revealed the ongoing family drama has taken a toll on her relationship with boyfriend Hudson McLeroy, especially when when her mom reaches out for financial help. She admitted in a confessional: 'Sometimes I don't tell Hudson when she's asking me for something because she' going through this crazy divorce and living with four kids. 'I get it and I never want money to destroy the relationship with my family.' Money woes have loomed large over Kim and Kroy's unraveling marriage. After filing for divorce, Kroy accused the reality TV star of a severe gambling problem that he claimed left their family in financial ruin. According to court filings, he alleged Kim blew through more than $600,000 on luxury shopping sprees over a seven-year span, frequenting high-end retailers like Neiman Marcus, Chanel, and Saks. The financial pressure only escalated when their Georgia mansion—once listed at a far higher price—lingered on the market for over 18 months. In February, the troubled property finally sold, but at a steep $3 million discount, following months of foreclosure threats. Ariana's claim comes almost a week after Kim faced fresh backlash after promoting an online casino — despite ongoing claims that her gambling habit helped tank her family's finances. The accusations about Kim's gambling losses were seen in a 2023 Milton Police Department bodycam video after officers responded to the home after Kim reported a domestic dispute. During the police visit, Kroy told police that the Don't Be Tardy alum 'has decimated everything' with her penchant for gambling; he added that some of her gaming activity was illegal. Zolciak and Biermann's four kids - Kroy Jr., 15, Kash, 14, and twins Kane and Kaia, 12 - were at home at the time of the altercation. (Biermann had adopted Zolciak's older children from previous relationships - Brielle, 28, and Ariana - when they were minors in the couple's earlier years.) Ariana's bombshell financial claim also comes after she finally received her sentencing following her 2022 DUI arrest. The media personality was involved in a 'minor fender bender' at the time - but denied that she had been drinking leading up to the incident. However, she admitted to using a marijuana vape the night before. A hearing recently took place on May 23 amid her criminal case and she entered a plea deal - with charges officially being dropped, according to InTouch Weekly, which was the first to report the news. She pleaded guilty to both reckless driving as well as possession and use of a drug-related object. However, the star will have to serve 24 months on probation and if she commits any violations, Ariana could possibly serve time in jail.
Daily Mirror
16 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Reason Brit 'drug mules' are 'flavour of the month' for shady gangs is exposed
Recently, Bella Culley, from Billingham, County Durham, was arrested in Georgia and Charlotte May Lee, from Coulsdon in London, allegedly had a synthetic strain of cannabis in her luggage in Sri Lanka Party-going Brits are the "flavour of the month" for drug smuggler gangs, experts warned today. Insiders say Brits are being recruited on the promise of quick cash and the "perfect package" luxury holiday in the likes of Thailand and Indonesia. However, some are never making it home - or are absent for months - because they are being banged up in hellhole jails for drug smuggling offences. Bella Culley, from Billingham, County Durham, and Charlotte May Lee, from Coulsdon, south London, are just two of the several Brits to be lured into the murky world recently. However, in a case that has bucked the trend, a 79-year-old William 'Billy Boy' Eastment, of Somerset, was arrested in Chile last week after a Mexican gang allegedly promised him £3.7million to smuggle a suitcase of crystal meth from Cancun. And experts say the variety highlights how age isn't a barrier for these gangs. One drugs expert said: "They recruit anyone they think looks innocent enough to get through customs, and yet still be dodgy enough to do the deal." Airport security - both in the UK and abroad - is now said to be on high alert for suspicious behaviour that staff may associate with drug smuggling. Culley, for instance, was snagged in Georgia after allegedly carrying 14kg of cannabis into the ex-Soviet nation from Thailand, where she had been holidaying. And Lee, a former TUI flight attendant, is locked up in a Sri Lankan prison after police allegedly discovered 46kg of "Kush" - a synthetic strain of cannabis - in her suitcase when she arrived on a flight from Thailand. A flurry of similar cases have followed including 36-year-old OnlyFans model Clara Wilson, from Nottinghamshire, 21-year-old Cameron Bradford, from Hertfordshire, and 29-year-old Kimberly Hall, from Middlesbrough, who have all been arrested on suspicion of smuggling abroad. Gary Carroll, an expert witness in drug cases, told Mail Online crooks are targeting young people, particularly women, on social media. Mr Carroll, who spent 14 years in policing before becoming a witness, told the publication: "It's (social media) created a gateway for suppliers to target and make connections with young, well-travelled, glamorous ladies and girls that are seeking that ability to travel the world and afford to do so. "Smuggling drugs or packages where they're not entirely sure of the contents in exchange for free holidays and cash seems quite a lucrative offer." Mr Carroll, from Claymore Advisory Group, said he has worked on cases where the "common denominator" is free accommodation, free flights, spending money and some cash with which to come home. He added: "I've even seen business class being thrown in there to sweeten the deal. It's almost the perfect package for those that want to travel, take all the pictures for social media at no expense of their own." Dr David Holmes, a leading criminal psychologist, warned Brits to be vigilant on holiday as he said some gang members will brazenly approach tourists on beaches with offers to join the murky underworld. He said: "It's anyone they think looks innocent enough to get through customs, and yet still be dodgy enough to do the deal. It may be that Brits are the flavour of the month - and I would imagine it's quite more likely that Brits are the flavour of the month with airport security.. That's why they are being picked up more, because they are being picked on more." Police in Sri Lanka, meanwhile, insist Lee - arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle 101lb (46kg) the synthetic strain of cannabis into the country - is "in a lot of trouble". The Brit faces up to 25 years in a tough maximum-security jail in Sri Lanka if she is convicted.
